January 11, 2009

Ed Ochester Presents Jeffrey McDaniel

Jeffrey McDaniel's (left) recent book with Pitt is THE ENDARKENMENT. I've known him and his work since he was a graduate student at George Mason and have admired his wild sense of humor since then. It's still news to a lot of poetry fans, but we're in the midst of a comic poetry renaissance, and thebest of the makers in this area don't just tell gags, they tap into the deeper absurdity of our time, mindful also – as George W. Bush has said (1 / 14 / 05)--that "in no way, shape, or form should a human being play God."

-– Ed Ochester

Wildlife on the 4

I was on the subway today,and a guy showed mehis ostrich. I'm serious,I looked over and he had thischeckered smile and his ostrichby the neck, squeezingthe throat so tightthe ostrich's head was purple. HEY,YOU CAN'T DO THAT, I wanted to say,YOU CAN'T BRING OSTRICHES ON THE SUBWAY,but this was New York, we don'ttalk to strangers, so I lookeddown at my newspaperand thought about the plightof a flightless bird, ableto run faster than most horses,yet so hard to saddle.

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Ed Ochester Presents Jeffrey McDaniel

Jeffrey McDaniel's (left) recent book with Pitt is THE ENDARKENMENT. I've known him and his work since he was a graduate student at George Mason and have admired his wild sense of humor since then. It's still news to a lot of poetry fans, but we're in the midst of a comic poetry renaissance, and thebest of the makers in this area don't just tell gags, they tap into the deeper absurdity of our time, mindful also – as George W. Bush has said (1 / 14 / 05)--that "in no way, shape, or form should a human being play God."

-– Ed Ochester

Wildlife on the 4

I was on the subway today,and a guy showed mehis ostrich. I'm serious,I looked over and he had thischeckered smile and his ostrichby the neck, squeezingthe throat so tightthe ostrich's head was purple. HEY,YOU CAN'T DO THAT, I wanted to say,YOU CAN'T BRING OSTRICHES ON THE SUBWAY,but this was New York, we don'ttalk to strangers, so I lookeddown at my newspaperand thought about the plightof a flightless bird, ableto run faster than most horses,yet so hard to saddle.